Design: Michael Yuen-Killick, Rachel Lopez Metzger
Published in 2024 by Red Comet Press LLC, Brooklyn, NY
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2023941946
ISBN (HB): 978-1-63655-099-2
ISBN (EBOOK): 978-1-63655-100-5
23 24 25 26 27 TLF 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
First Edition Manufactured in China RedCometPress.com
Written by Brooke Hartman
Illustrated by John Joseph
red comet press Brooklyn
Five shiny cars to be explored. A grand adventure lies in store. The whistle blows, we climb aboard.
Let’s ride the Alaska Train!
Chugga-chugga, clickety-clack! Racing down the railroad track. Through a narrow mountain pass, Around the bend, look in the grass!
Moving slow
And built for snow, A burly, brawny—
BUFFALO!
Chugga-chugga, clickety-clack!
Roaring down the railroad track.
Over beaches by the sea, Around the bend, what can it be?
Can you spot her In the water?
Swimming fast, a furry—
Toot toot! Ding ding! Let’s ride the Alaska Train!
Chugga-chugga, clickety-clack!
Rushing down the railroad track.
Under stony cliffs so high, Around the bend, what do you spy?
From rocks so steep, They take a leap. Those curly horns belong to—
Chugga-chugga, clickety-clack!
Rocking down the railroad track. Over fields, across the flats, Around the bend and…Wait, what’s that?
On the loose
By our caboose, With big brown antlers, those are—
MOOSE!
Toot toot! Ding ding! Let’s ride the Alaska Train!
Chugga-chugga, clickety-clack! Rolling down the railroad track. Over trails and through the trees, Around the bend, what do you see?
With all those spines, You know the signs To spot some prickly—
PORCUPINES!
Chugga-chugga, clickety-clack! Rumbling down the railroad track. Over bridges, under boughs, Around the bend, what is it now?
Don’t be scared, That shaggy hair Is just a great big—
GRIZZLY BEAR!
Toot toot! Ding ding! Let’s ride the Alaska Train!
Chugga-chugga, clickety-clack! Rambling down the railroad track. Over tundra vast and clear, Around the bend, what have we here?
Not one, not two, But quite a few.
A herd of hairy—
CARIBOU!
Chugga-chugga, clickety-clack! Rattling down the railroad track. The wheels go slower… slower… slow…
Around the bend, and then…
Oh no!
There in the sky, Oh me oh my, a mountain— and it’s much too high!
No chugga-chug…
No clickety-clack…
We’re stuck here on the railroad track.
Then from the cars there comes a shout, “We can’t give up. Let’s all help out!”
Pushing,pulling!Heaveandho! Justonemorenudgeand—
We’re almost there. We did it, crew! We round the bend, then—
“Aaaah!” and “Oooooh!”
The sky’s alight. It’s pure delight. You just
can’t beat these—
N ORTHERN LIGH T S !
Toot toot! Ding ding! We rode the Alaska Train!
More about the Alaska Train
Have you ever ridden the Alaska Train?
Also known as the Alaska Railroad Corporation, the Alaska Train started running in 1903 to carry goods and passengers across the territory of Alaska. Since then, the company has built tracks and bridges to extend over 500 miles across the state, from Seward and Whittier in the south to as far north as Fairbanks.
With its bright blue and gold cars, shiny dome windows, and fun tour guides, the Alaska Train is one of the best ways to travel the state, enjoying a comfortable ride while sightseeing and spotting wildlife. Maybe you’ll even make a few new friends along the way!
Parts of the Alaska Train
ACCESS STEPS (OR LADDER): allows crew to enter through a door on the front or side of the engine
BAGGAGE CAR: a car with large doors on the side to load baggage in and out
CAB: the place in the engine car where the engineer rides
CONDUCTOR: the person on a train who makes sure everything is running smoothly
COUPLER: a device that connects the engine to the cars behind it
DIESEL LOCOMOTIVE: the engine car that pulls the train
DINING CAR: a car equipped with a kitchen and tables for serving meals to passengers
DOME: some special cars have one where passengers can look out the top of the car
DRIVING WHEELS: the wheels powered by the engine that drive the rest of the train
ENGINEER: the person who drives the train
GEARBOX: the central system that transmits power from the motor to the wheels
HEADLIGHT: helps the train engineer see better at night and lets others see the train in the dark
HORN & BELL: used to warn people that the train is coming
NUMBER BOARD: shows the number of the train
PASSENGER CAR: the part of a train passengers ride in
PASSENGER STEPS & DOOR: the part of the train car where passengers board
TICKET TAKER: the person who checks passengers’ train tickets
TRUCK: the frame under the engine that holds the wheels
VESTIBULE: the space between cars where passengers can walk
ACCESS STEPS
BAGGAGE CAR
NUMBER BOARD
CONDUCTOR ENGINEER HORN & BELL
DIESEL LOCOMOTIVE
DINING CAR DOME
DRIVING WHEELS
TICKET TAKER
COUPLER
VESTIBULE
PASSENGER CAR
PASSENGER STEPS & DOOR
ALASKA RAILROAD CORPORATION
327 W Ship Creek Ave
Anchorage, AK 99501
www.alaskarailroad.com
MUSEUM OF ALASKA TRANSPORTATION & INDUSTRY
3800 W Museum Drive
Wasilla, AK 99654 www.museumofalaska.org
FRIENDS OF THE TANANA VALLEY RAILROAD
2300 Airport Way
Fairbanks, AK 99712
www.tananavalleyrailroad.org
ALASKA RAILROAD MUSEUM & NENANA DEPOT
900 A Street, Nenana, AK 99760
ENGINE 557 RESTORATION COMPANY
P.O. Box 875360
Wasilla, AK 99687
www.557.alaskarails.org
BROOKE HARTMAN is an award-winning author of children’s books, including Dream Flights on Arctic . As the daughter of a former tour guide trainer for the Alaska Railroad and sister of an Alaska Railroad lineman, she has spent many a day, night, and weekend riding the rails, viewing spectacular scenery and spotting countless wildlife—though so far the only wildlife to join her on the ride are members of her own family. She lives in Chugiak, Alaska. Visit her at brookeahartman.com.
JOHN JOSEPH is an award-winning artist, illustrator, elementary school art teacher, and community leader. He has illustrated several New York Times– Time for School, Little Blue Truck, and has previously collaborated with Brooke Hartman on the children’s book . He lives in Colorado with his wife, two sons, and a German shepherd. Visit him at johnjosephillustration.com.
